The AEP Fitness Center extended an unused basement structure in northern Oklahoma City into a sports and leisure hub. A series of arched steel trusses were placed over an existing concrete basement. The trusses are clad with industrial-scaled profile metal sheeting to enclose a singular hangar-like volume with fully-glazed gables.
Two boxes were then inserted: a single storey steel-clad volume that punches through the front gable to provide an entry vestibule to the east; and a larger cube within the central space that contained two racquetball courts within and an adaptable climbing wall on its western face. Additional internal facilities included a basketball court, fitness studios of varied sizes, changing and locker rooms and a café. On the outside a running track, courtyards, terraces and a sunken retention pond (which doubled as a volleyball court) cater for a wide range of external activities.
In 2017 the centre was repurposed as the new home of the Oklahoma City Ballet. The original basketball court was replaced with a 4,500 square feet dance studio, with sprung floors and state of the art sound system. This rehearsal space also doubles as a theatre with a retractable tiered seating. The former racquetball courts have been combined to create a second dance studio. The fitness studios and gym of the lower levels have also been reconfigured to create three new dance studios and wellness studio, the larger of these benefitting from the lightwell at the west.